The Avatar and The Cop
by Musical Tomboy613
Summary: My entries for Makorra Week. Day 2:Lyrical. She was gone for so long, but when she returned, she just wasn't Korra, anymore.
1. Masquerade

In spite of the mask, Korra was nearly blinded by the flashing lights as she stepped off out of the limo. "Smile, Avatar Korra!", and " Give us a smile, doll!" were some of the words she managed to catch as she put on a smile for the cameras and strutted into City Hall.

Oh, how she hated these big parties, and this one, in spite of it being for her birthday, was no exception. The young woman would've just been happy with her close friends, family, and a cake in the solitude of Air Temple Island, but when Asami caught wind that Korra was turning 18 years old, she immediately dropped everything and started planning a huge masquerade party. Korra insisted she didn't want such a big party, and Asami adamantly refused to stop her plans for the large bash.

She felt ridiculous in the dress she was wearing, even though it was easily the most ornate and gorgeous gown at the party. It was a navy blue, off-shoulder dress that had long, sheer sleeves, a silken cape that flowed like water behind her, and a long slit up the side that revealed her long, tanned legs and the black, open-toed heels she had on. A simple navy blue mask with three black feathers between the eyes covered her face.

The girl was fully prepared to grab a glass of champagne and sit on the sidelines, watching people dance until time to go home, but those plans came to an abrupt end when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "And it begins" she thought. Over her months in Republic City, many young men had tried and failed to woo her, in hopes of being able to say that the Avatar was on their arm. She was about to threaten the person behind her when she turned around and immediately recognized him. "Mako" she breathed. A crooked smile lit up his face as he kissed her forehead. "How did you know it was me?" Korra rolled her eyes and said, "You might be dressed up, but that mask is nothing to brag about." In truth, Mako did only have a plain, black mask covering his eyes.

"Well,Miss Avatar, since you think you're so clever, why don't you dance with me?" He said as his hand daringly went up her exposed thigh. A wicked smirk slowly stretched across her face as she took his hand and led him to the middle of the dance floor. "Challenge accepted."


	2. Lyrical

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.  
I'll be the one, if you want me to._

It had been too long. An entire year, for Agni' s sake! He hadn't seen her since she left that fateful morning, to follow in Aang's footsteps and travel the world. He had said so many times he wished to go with her, and she refused each time, saying that it was something she had to accomplish alone.

_Anywhere, I would've followed you.  
Say something, I'm giving up on you._

Wherever she went, she would've taken him, and wherever he ventured, she would go. At least, that's what he had thought, before she had barged into the apartment at 3 a.m with tears in her eyes and a strangled confession. She wasn't taking him. His heart broke in two then, and Korra , whether she knew it or not, took one half of it as she ran out of his dwelling and down to the bay, leaving him to figure out exactly _what the hell just happened?_

_And I am feeling so small.  
It was over my head  
I know nothing at all._

They had been so foolish. It was to be expected of two teenagers, so stubbornly believing what they had was some romance straight from the fairy tales. It wasn't until she was just a dot on the horizon, and he was walking back to the apartment, trying and failing to hold back the tears, that they both came to the same conclusion: it was never perfect, and it never will be.

_And I will stumble and fall.  
I'm still learning to love  
Just starting to crawl._

Now, they were on separate journeys, trying to figure out exactly what is true love. They each had a few flings in the time she was gone, but none of them lasted very long. And after they had both been shattered so mercilessly, they were just taking baby steps, learning to love again.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.  
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.  
Anywhere, I would've followed you.  
Say something, I'm giving up on you._

He was beginning to give up on her. An entire year, with the only indication that she was still there, and not something he had dreamed up, being stories on the radio about the rapid rate at which she was maturing and becoming a poised and regal woman, solving problems with her words instead of her fists and suddenly becoming seasoned in politics and negotiations. Deep down, he knew the brash, loud, and hard-headed girl he had grown to love so much just wasn't there anymore, but on the outside, he always refused to admit it.

_And I will swallow my pride.  
You're the one that I love  
And I'm saying goodbye._

It's exactly a year later when she steps off of the boat and back into Republic City. She is met with cheers and hoots and thunderous applause, but all he can do is just stand there and stare. He didn't think it was possible, but she had grown even more beautiful. Her hair had grown longer, with the top pulled into a bun and the bottom cascading down her waist, and the two front side-tails now thinner with nothing to hold them. Her face had lost all traces of baby fat and was now beautifully angled with her cheekbones clearly defined. Her back was straight and her head held high with a small smile playing on her lips as she walked through the throng of people, flanked by OWL Guards on all sides. He suddenly remembers that she is speaking at City Hall and races back to the apartment and tears every drawer open because _Spirits where is that ticket Asami gave him!  
_  
He puts on his best clothes and leaves at 8:00. He can only stare as she gives a rousing speech about her travels and her so-called "spiritual journey" and so many other things he thinks she _couldn't_ have written herself, because this just isn't his Korra.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.  
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.  
And anywhere, I would have followed you.  
Oh-oh-oh-oh say something, I'm giving up on you  
_  
He finally gets to talk to her after she's entertained a million other dignitaries. Her calm and regal façade slips for a moment as she pulls him into a tight hug and he can only stand there in shock. She soon realizes that her queenly mask has slipped and composes herself before addressing him. "Mako." He lets out a dry, humorless chuckle before he addresses her back."Korra-" he earns himself a stern look and is taken aback before correcting himself warily. "Avatar Korra, how nice to see you again." "I extend my greetings to you as well, Mako." He wants to laugh and cry because at first, he thinks she is playing with him, toying with his thoughts like she used to, but then he wants to cry because he realizes that she is serious.

So, he decides to be bold. "Why didn't you take me?" She looks stunned for a moment before her expression becomes stony. "You know full well why I couldn't bring you along." She's infuriating him once more and he is just so ready to lash out, but he knows she will just walk away, not fight back. So he spoke again, his voice slowly gaining volume. "No, I don't know. I don't know why the one woman I was ready to love forever just left me behind without so much as an explanation!" Her breathing is hard now,her nostrils flare like an angry dragon, and she is getting red in the face. The regal mask has fallen and the young, loud, brash girl is making an explosive comeback. "I told you! I told you that I had to do it by myself! I told you that we weren't going to work! I tried to stop loving you, because I knew it was going to hurt us both! But I couldn't, and look where we are now!" They've attracted stares now, and Korra notices. She straighten her back, fixes he hair, and puts the act back on. She looks into his amber eyes and tells him quietly. "Mako, I still love you. I never stopped, and I never will, but we-" she gestured between the two of them with her finger, "don't work." She plants a kiss on his lips, but before he can pull her close to him and tell her "Yes, we can make this work." She pulls away from him, pure sorrow marring her beautiful features. "I will love you forever, Mako." She whispers, before she is swallowed into the crowd of people and leaving him, once again, to figure out _what the hell just happened?_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.  
Say something..._

The half of his heart that was still there shattered then. 


End file.
